Karnataka KSEAB SSLC NSQF Apparel Made-Ups & Home Furnishing cheat sheet

Apparel means wearable garments cut and sewn to body measurements; made-ups are stitched non-wearable articles such as bed linen, towels and bags; home furnishing covers furnishing textiles like curtains, upholstery and cushions.

Sector chain order: fibre → yarn → fabric → wet processing (dyeing/printing/finishing) → pattern making and cutting → stitching → finishing and packing → retail.

Apparel is size-graded and style-driven; made-ups are usually dimension-based (cm) products sold in standard sets; home furnishing is measured to room and window dimensions.

India's textile and apparel value chain is segmented: organised mill/composite sector, powerloom and handloom decentralised sector, and garment export houses.

NSQF levels run 1 to 10; the SSLC-level Apparel, Made-Ups and Home Furnishing course sits at entry level and leads to higher NSQF qualifications through vertical mobility.

Job roles in this sector include sewing machine operator, pattern maker, cutting assistant, quality checker, surface ornamentation worker and self-employed tailor.

Product categories: garments (shirt, kurta, trouser, saree blouse), made-ups (bed sheet, pillow cover, table mat, apron, tote bag), furnishing (curtain, cushion cover, sofa cover).

Measurement units differ by product: garments in inches/cm body sizes, fabric in metres, made-ups in cm dimensions, furnishing fabric in running metres or panels.

Fibre classes: natural (cotton, linen, jute, silk, wool) and man-made (regenerated viscose/rayon, synthetic polyester, nylon, acrylic).

Cotton is a seed hair, mostly cellulose, absorbent, comfortable, but creases and shrinks; mercerisation improves lustre and strength.

Linen comes from the flax stem (bast fibre), strong and cool but stiff and creases heavily; jute is a coarse bast fibre used for sacks and furnishing.

Silk is a continuous filament from the silkworm; wool is a protein animal fibre with natural crimp, warmth and felting tendency.

Yarn count systems: cotton count (Ne) is indirect - higher Ne means finer yarn; denier and tex are direct - higher value means coarser yarn.

Yarn types: single, plied (two or more twisted together), and cabled; twist direction is S or Z; higher twist gives a harder, leaner yarn.

Weave structures: plain (strong, firm, cheapest), twill (diagonal lines, drapes well, used in denim), satin (long floats, lustrous face, weaker abrasion resistance).

Knitted fabric is made by interlooping yarns - stretchy and comfortable; woven fabric is made by interlacing warp and weft - stable and less stretchy.

Fabric weight is expressed as GSM (grams per square metre); fabric width is measured selvedge to selvedge and determines marker efficiency.

Body measurements needed for a basic bodice: bust, waist, hip, shoulder, back neck to waist, front neck to waist, armhole depth and sleeve length.

Drafting is drawing a pattern from body measurements using a set of rules; draping is shaping fabric directly on a dress form; grading is scaling a pattern to other sizes.

Pattern pieces carry grain line, notches, darts, seam allowance, fold line and cutting instructions; the grain line is normally parallel to the selvedge.

Seam allowance is commonly 1 cm to 1.5 cm on most seams, 2.5 cm to 4 cm on hems, and nil on fold lines.

Dart types include single-pointed bust dart, double-pointed waist dart and French dart; darts convert flat fabric into three-dimensional shape.

Basic seams: plain (open or pressed to one side), French (self-enclosed, best for sheer/light fabrics), run-and-fell (strong, used on jeans), overlock (edge finishing).

Hem finishes: single fold, double fold, blind hem, and facing; facing is used for shaped edges like necklines and armholes.

Construction order for a basic garment: cut → mark → darts → seams → plackets/pockets → facing/collar → sleeves → hem → press and finish.

Fit is checked at bust, waist, hip, shoulder and armhole; common corrections are slash-and-spread for tightness and dart manipulation for shape.

Machine parts: needle, needle plate, presser foot, feed dog, bobbin and bobbin case, take-up lever, tension discs, hand wheel and spool pin.

Upper thread path: spool pin → thread guides → tension discs → take-up lever → needle bar → needle eye; lower thread comes from the bobbin.

Stitch formation on a lockstitch machine needs correct needle–bobbin timing; a skipped stitch usually means a bent needle, wrong needle size or misthreaded path.

Tension diagnosis: loops under the fabric mean upper tension too loose or bobbin too tight; loops on top mean upper tension too tight or bobbin too loose.

Needle sizes: finer needles (9–11) for light fabrics like chiffon, medium (14) for cotton shirting, heavier (16–18) for denim and canvas.

Machine types: lockstitch (single needle, two threads), overlock (edge neatening, 3 or 4 threads), flatlock, zig-zag, buttonhole, and blind hem machines.

Essential hand tools: measuring tape, sewing gauge, L-square, French curve, tracing wheel, tailor's chalk, seam ripper, pinking shears, dressmaker's shears and pins.

Shears are for fabric only; cutting paper with fabric shears dulls the blades. Bent-handled shears keep fabric flat on the table.

Maintenance: clean lint from bobbin case and feed dog, oil per manual, change needles regularly, and check belt and wiring before use.

Ornamentation methods: embroidery, appliqué, patchwork, quilting, beadwork, sequins, mirror work, block printing, tie-and-dye, batik and fabric painting.

Hand embroidery stitches: running, back, stem, chain, satin, lazy daisy, French knot, herringbone and blanket stitch.

Appliqué attaches a cut fabric shape to a base fabric and is stitched at the edges; patchwork joins small fabric pieces into a larger unit; quilting stitches layers together.

Mirror work (abhla bharat) fixes small mirrors with buttonhole or herringbone stitches; it is traditional to Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Tie-and-dye resists dye by tying, folding or binding; batik uses wax as the resist; both are resist-dyeing techniques.

Block printing uses carved wooden blocks dipped in dye or pigment paste; registration marks keep repeated motifs aligned.

Machine embroidery uses computerised digitised designs; stabiliser prevents puckering and the design file format must match the machine.

Embellishment adds cost and weight: beadwork and zardosi are heavy and need lining; sequins and mirrors require smooth yarn fabrics to hold stitches.

Care rule: hand-wash or dry-clean embellished articles inside out, avoid direct ironing on beads or sequins, and use a pressing cloth.

Curtain styles: pencil pleat, pinch pleat, eyelet, tab top, rod pocket and Roman blind; fabric requirement is typically 1.5 to 2.5 times the window width for fullness.

Curtain length rules: sill length, below-sill, floor length and puddle length; measure from rod to the required drop plus hem and heading allowance.

Cushion cover sizes commonly range from 30 cm × 30 cm to 45 cm × 45 cm; a cover is cut with seam allowance and a back opening (zipper, button or envelope flap).

Bed linen set components: flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillow cover and duvet cover; fitted sheet needs corner darts or elastic to grip the mattress.

Standard mattress sizes in India: single 90 cm × 190 cm, double 137 cm × 190 cm, king 183 cm × 190 cm; add 15–25 cm for tuck-in.

Table linen includes table cloth, table runner, placemat and napkin; drop length determines the cloth size, and mitered corners give a clean finish.

Upholstery fabric needs high abrasion resistance, firm weave and GSM; the Martindale rub count is the usual abrasion measure.

Fabric shrinkage allowance for cotton is roughly 5–10% and for viscose higher; pre-shrink or wash fabric before cutting home furnishing articles.

Production stages: design → pattern and sample → fabric sourcing and inspection → marker and cutting → stitching (line/section) → finishing → inspection → packing and dispatch.

Marker making nests pattern pieces to minimise fabric waste; marker efficiency = (area of pattern pieces ÷ marker area) × 100.

Fabric utilisation is affected by grain restriction, fabric width, size ratio and matching of checks or stripes (which increases consumption).

Cutting methods: hand shears for sampling, straight knife for bulk, band knife for precise blocks, die cutting for small parts; cutting accuracy affects fit.

Production systems: make-through (one operator, whole garment), progressive bundle system (bundles move between operators), and modular/team sewing.

Line balancing assigns operations to workstations so cycle times match the takt time; a bottleneck operation limits line output.

SAM (standard allowed minute) is the standard time for an operation; line capacity = available minutes ÷ SAM per garment.

Common finishing defects: skipped stitches, puckering, uneven hem, shade variation between panels, loose thread and needle marks.

Efficiency = (standard minutes produced ÷ minutes attended) × 100; higher efficiency means less idle time and better line utilisation.

Quality control checks: fabric inspection (holes, shade, count, GSM), cut panel check, in-line stitching check, end-line inspection and final audit before packing.

Four-point fabric inspection system assigns 1–4 penalty points per defect per metre; acceptance is usually up to 20–40 points per 100 square yards depending on buyer standard.

Common fabric defects: slub, missing pick, hole, oil stain, shade bar, bowing, skewing and colour bleeding.

Common garment defects: measurement out of tolerance, seam slippage, puckering, mismatched checks, wrong label, broken stitch and uneven button spacing.

AQL (acceptable quality level) sampling inspects a lot against a defined defect limit; major and minor defects are counted separately.

Care label symbols: washtub = washing (with temperature dots), triangle = bleaching, square with circle = tumble drying, iron = ironing (dots for temperature), circle = dry cleaning (letters P, F, A).

Care instructions must match fibre: cotton is machine washable and hot-ironable; wool needs cool wash and steam press; silk and viscose usually dry-clean or gentle hand wash.

Colour fastness tests include washing, rubbing (crocking), light and perspiration fastness; poor fastness causes bleeding and staining.

Storage care: dry garments fully before storing, use padded hangers for knits, avoid direct sunlight, and store wool with moth repellent.

Machine safety rules: keep fingers away from the needle, use a needle guard, never remove the belt guard, switch off before threading or cleaning, and keep the foot off the pedal when not sewing.

PPE in a garment unit includes finger guards, eye protection for cutting/overlock, closed shoes, and masks where dust or fibre fly is present.

Electrical hazards: check plugs, cables and earthing; do not touch switches with wet hands; report sparking or overheating immediately.

Ergonomic hazards in sewing are neck, shoulder and back strain from prolonged sitting; correct chair height, footrest and work surface reduce risk.

Fire safety: know extinguisher locations and exit routes, keep aisles clear, store flammable chemicals away from heat, and never block fire doors.

First aid basics: treat needle pricks and cuts by cleaning and covering; burns from irons are cooled under running water; report all injuries in the accident register.

Work ethics: punctuality, honesty in reporting output and defects, respect for co-workers, no harassment, confidentiality of designs, and safe use of employer property.

5S workplace discipline (sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain) reduces accidents and improves productivity.

Costing formula: total cost = material cost + labour cost + overheads; selling price = total cost + profit margin; margin is often expressed as a percentage of cost or of selling price.

Material costing includes fabric consumption × rate, plus trims (thread, buttons, zipper, labels, interlining) and wastage allowance.

Break-even quantity = fixed cost ÷ (selling price per unit − variable cost per unit).

Small enterprise options: tailoring unit, alteration service, boutique, embroidery unit, cushion and curtain making, uniform supply, fabric retail and online resale.

Government support schemes for MSMEs include Udyam registration, MUDRA loans, PMEGP and skill development through NSDC/NSQF training partners.

Career paths: sewing machine operator, sample tailor, pattern master, cutting master, quality inspector, merchandiser, production supervisor, designer and entrepreneur.

Marketing basics for a small unit: identify target customer, price competitively, maintain sample catalogue, use social media, and deliver on time to build repeat orders.

Record keeping is mandatory for a business: maintain measurement records, order book, purchase bills, wage register and GST records where applicable.

Licences and compliance for a small unit: Udyam/MSME registration, shop and establishment registration, GST registration above the turnover threshold, and proper invoicing.